The invention relates to a device for holding a sleeve. In particular, the invention relates to a sleeve clamp. A sleeve may be utilized for leading, for example, a screw along a predetermined path. In particular, a tissue protection sleeve may be utilized to hold soft tissue aside when inserting a bone screw into a bone, for example so as to fix a fracture of the bone.
Previous to the insertion of a screw, the sleeve may facilitate an insertion of an instrument like a drill for drilling a bore, or a measuring instrument for determining an appropriate length of a screw to be inserted.
However, the sleeve may be displaced by soft tissue structures surrounding a bone so that a screw insertion may be affected.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0216242 describes a clamp for a Kirschner wire. A Kirschner wire received in a sleeve is laterally pressed against an edge of the sleeve so as to hold the Kirschner wire in place. However, the Kirschner wire will tilt in the sleeve, i.e. the wire axis will be inclined relative to the sleeve axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,994 as well as U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,739 disclose a targeting device with a targeting arm, the targeting arm including a solid portion and an elastic portion. The elastic portion is separated from the solid portion by a slit. A through bore for receiving a wire or a sleeve is formed through both the solid portion and the elastic portion. The elastic portion can be used to fix a position of the wire or sleeve when being inserted in the through bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,710, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a resiliently deflectable lever which may cooperate with a sleeve which is guided through a transverse bore in a targeting arm portion, in a clamping manner when the lever is in a relaxed or released condition.